With higher regulatory pressure and waning fundamentals support, iron ore price may still dip

Jindal Steel, with Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), has earned a Guinness World Record for the world's longest road built entirely from processed steel slag — a 1.85 km, four-lane road in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, designed for heavy truck traffic. Using approximately 200,000 tonnes of refined EAF steel slag, the project achieved 100% replacement of natural stone, resulting in a 35% thinner pavement and up to 40% lower construction costs, along with major savings on quarrying and transport. Jindal Steel has branded the material "SteelGrit" and signed a tech-transfer deal with CSIR-CRRI to scale it nationwide — a strong circular-economy push, backed by the Science & Technology Ministry, that opens a new revenue stream for the steel sector.

European Commission data released in mid-September 2026 confirmed that multiple third-country steel import quotas were exhausted during the final month of the July 1 to September 30 quota window. India fully exhausted its quotas of 54,334 mt for organic coated sheets and 6,158 mt for welded pipes, while Australia used up its 11,830 mt hot-rolled coil allowance. China also maxed out its 39,484 mt merchant bar quota, forcing importers of these products to either pay steep out-of-quota duties or stockpile material at European ports until October.